Roderic R. Essen
Rod Essen, Managing Director, is a career investment banker with over 25 years of experience. Most recently, Mr. Essen headed A.G. Edwards’ Los Angeles investment banking office which he established as the firm’s first west coast banking branch office in 1997. During his 11 year tenure at Edwards, Mr. Essen was a senior member of the Emerging Growth Group where he served investment banking clients in technology, industrial, and consumer products sectors. Mr. Essen’s transactional expertise is focused on mergers and acquisitions as well as capital raising. Mr. Essen and Mr. Douglas E. Reynolds, founder and Managing Director of Reynolds Advisory Partners, were former colleagues at A.G. Edwards.
As Managing Director for Paine Webber’s Los Angeles investment banking office (1993-1996), Mr. Essen was the senior west coast banker of Paine Webber’s Consumer Products Group. In 1983, Mr. Essen joined Dean Witter Reynolds’ Los Angeles investment banking group as Vice President and progressed to Managing Director where he focused on mergers & acquisitions and public offerings as well as private debt and equity placements for middle market clients (1983-1993). Prior to Dean Witter, Mr. Essen was a Vice President with Wedbush Morgan Securities and with Bank of America’s North America Division.
To date, Mr. Essen has completed over 100 financing and M&A transactions for public and private companies in a variety of industries, worth over $7.5 billion. Selected transactions include:
- Astech, Inc. - Financial advisor to this specialty engineered aviation products company in its $48 million sale to U.K.-based GKN Aerospace
- Bristol Farms, Inc. - $27million private placement of convertible preferred stock for this specialty grocery company
- Graphic Arts Center - Financial Advisor in the $65 million sale of this high-end printing company to private equity firm McCown Deleeuw & Co.
- ILFC - IPO and several public and private debt and equity offerings totaling $225 million for the world’s leading aircraft leasing firm during the company’s early dramatic growth years
- Knotts Berry Farm Foods - Financial Advisor to this leading western producer of jams and preserves in its $50 million sale to Con Agra
- Leiner Health Products - Advised Board of Directors in the $61 million sale of this vitamin manufacturer to AEA Investors
- Microsemi Corp - Represented this semiconductor company in its acquisition of Linfinity Corp. and lead-managed a $49 million public offering
- Petco Animal Supplies - Lead manager of IPO and subsequent follow-on equity offerings totaling over $115 million for this leading specialty retailer
Mr. Essen received his B.A. in Economics and Business Administration from Principia College and his M.B.A. from the University of Southern California.
